Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl' thrills

4:06 AM

With her third novel, Gillian Flynn, who has never had a USA TODAY best seller, cracks the list in a big way — at No. 7.

Gone Girl is the "deliciously sinister" (says the Associated Press) tale of a missing woman and her husband's fight to prove he's innocent.

"It's the triple lindy of thrillers," says Crown publisher Molly Stern. Flynn's "first two books (Sharp Objects and Dark Places) showed her skill and dark imagination, but Gone Girl sits on another plane altogether. And it's a brilliant, often funny, and gothic take on a hugely fascinating subject: marriage."

Early positive reviews, its choice as an "Indie Next" pick and Flynn's social media efforts are also credited with energizing sales.

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